Stinky poop, worried mom..

[hms142002]

I noticed a strong odor in my scarlet macaw's poop a few weeks back. I took her to the vet and he gave her an antibiotic for 7 days because she had bacteria in her mouth. He checked her poop sample and said it looked OK.

Her poop was Ok while she took the antibiotics but today the odor is back and is even stronger.
Her first poop in the morning had the bad smell and I cleaned her cage thoroughly. During the day she sits on her tree and her poop did not smell. In the evening when I brought her back to her cage , her poop smells bad again. It is a bit liquidy and the white part looks a bit pink...

She is otherwise normal and eats well. I gave her nothing different to eat..I am worried. Can someone pls advise.

[denmor55]

My Scarlet never has Stinky Poop and even eating differant colored pellets has never had a change in Poop color. The only time I real notice offensive Poop smell with any of the other birds I have is when they are going to lay Eggs.
I would make another vet Visit and Scrape up a fresh sample and take with you to have the lab work done.

[CALVINS MOM]

stinky poop is usually yeast. If he gave her an antibiotic, that will only make the yeast worse. Do you know what he gave you? Is he an avian vet? You may want to give him a call for more meds. Poop should not smell.

[Maui's Mom]

I had this problem. freaked me out. the vet said it was yeast and yes they gave us a 7 day antibiotic. the smell went away. the vet did say that smelly poop was a sign of other " bad things" but since there was no other symptoms, testing wasnt necessary.
Once in a while if the same GW eats alot of fresh fruit, I notice the smell. it is the first poop of the day only. Check to be sure that the smell u smell at nite isnt maybe some left over poop on the perch. I had to throw away everything that was inside the cage, perches, bowls , toys .. i just couldnt clean it enuf for me to not smell "that smell"

I would call the vet again, you can never go wrong with being cautious. One of the things the vet did say was that smelly poop was a sign of diabetes. I dont know this for a fact because like I said, the smell went away after 3 days of antibiotic.

Let us know what happens. Good Luck

[The Outlaw]

I agree with everyone else. Smelly poops in the wild would make finding sleeping birds very easy for predators. Usually it is a bacteria infection and that will require treatment. And, if its yeast, then you have to also use a probiotic to replace the good bacteria that will also get killed. Benebac is the one easiest to acquire.

If its a fruity nasty smell, it could be an especially nasty bacteria. I adopted a neglected GW last January, and her poops would clear a room! Turns out, she had been living in squalid conditions and had picked up something called rhenella aquatellis (I'm sure this is misspelled). It comes from drinking filthy water. It took a lot of medicating and sterilizing, but I finally got it under control. Smelly poop is never a good or healthy thing in birds.

[Winged_Victory]

Hi,

I have a Buffon’s macaw that will get smelly poop periodically. I have taken him to 3 vets and two were avian. Both AV’s did fecal floats, wet mounts and gram stains. From what they saw they put him on antibiotics, once Baytril and the other time Clavamox, the condition went away but came back a couple of months later. Since then I have talked to several other AV’s and told they have seen the problem of loose smelly poops be problematic in some macaws.

Since I’m very much against using too many antibiotics, I prefer the holistic medications and have had luck with many of them. I have found a product GSE will control the both the smell and help firm the feces. so will aloe-vera juice. A probiotic like benebac will also help firm the feces. Apple cider vinegar will also control the smell. I monitor my Buffon’s feces using a micro scope and find these natural products reduce the bacteria that I feel causes the smelly poop. Both GSE and ACV will change the PH of the GI tract.

I think you should contact your avian vet again and discuss what is going on with your scarlet, he may want to see him again! He may want to do a culture and see if he can isolate the bacteria and give you a more specific antibiotic. If yeast is mentioned you may want to ask about an antifungal medication to take care of it. Please talk to him about the holistic products listed.

Here is a link to an article on GSE. I like the holistic approach when time is on my side, holistic products are not a replacement for antibiotics when needed. Let your vet make the call.

http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections...-artid-43.html

[tielfan]

GSE acts like an antibiotic, killing all bacteria in the gut, and some people are leery of using it as a result. So anyone who is interested in it needs to research it first to make sure they're comfortable with it, follow up with probiotics, and preferably discuss it with your avian vet in advance.

[hms142002]

Thought I should update all.Turns out it was a yeast infection.The vet has given her an antibiotic for 14 days. Today is her 13th day and her morning poop still smells. but otherwise she is healthy. I keep her surrounding extra clean and have been giving her apple cider vinegar in her water too ( as suggested by Vet). I have not been able to do this more often but will continue to do so. Thanks all for your suggestions and response.

[Maui's Mom]

Glad to hear its working out. My macaw has the "smell" once in a while. I have found that it really has depended on his diet from the night before. If he has to much " people" food, it tends to take on an odor.
Best of luck

[CALVINS MOM]

Originally Posted by hms142002

Thought I should update all.Turns out it was a yeast infection.The vet has given her an antibiotic for 14 days. Today is her 13th day and her morning poop still smells. but otherwise she is healthy. I keep her surrounding extra clean and have been giving her apple cider vinegar in her water too ( as suggested by Vet). I have not been able to do this more often but will continue to do so. Thanks all for your suggestions and response.

Thanks for the update. Unfortunately, the initial round of antibiotics probably exacerbated the yeast infection. Glad to see your Scarlet is on the road to recovery.

You may want to discuss with your vet Probiotics just as "maintenance" in the future. That may keep the flora in her gut more balanced.